One of rock music’s first out, Black performers, Little Richard has died at the age of 87, his manager has confirmed.
The star had suffered from a spate of bad health in recent years including a stroke, heart attack and hip problems. His family announced that he died of bone cancer in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Little Richard was born as Richard Wayne Penniman in 1932.
According to his manager, Dick Alen, who had been Little Richard’s manager for 40 years, the entertainer died on the 9th of May.
Alen said, “He was living with his brother in Nashville,”
“He was battling for a good while, many years. I last spoke to him about two or three weeks ago. I knew he wasn’t well but he never really got into it, he just would say ‘I’m not well.’
“He’s been suffering for many years with various aches and pains. He just wouldn’t talk about it much.”
Since the news of his death, thousands of tributes have been made to the star with the star’s name trending on Twitter.
The star’s first major hit was “Tutti Fruit” in 1956 and that song spured an enduring career that spanned 15 studio albums and 37 singles.
His last major hit was “Bama Lama Bama Loo” which was released in 1964 and reached number 20 in the UK.
Complicated history with sexuality.
Throughout the years, Little Richard’s relationship with his sexuality was complicated having come out as gay and then denouncing his homosexuality due to his alliance with religion.
He also married a woman, Ernestine Harvin, and later adopted a son.
In 1995 he admitted that he knew he was gay all his life however he later stated that he was “omnisexual”.
In 2017, the last time he spoke publicly about sexuality he said, on the Three Angels Broadcasting Network that LGBT+ identities were an “unnatural affection” that goes against “the way God wants you to live”
Luke Christian is an out and deaf entrepreneur who created his iconic fashion brand, DEAF IDENTITY with his redundancy cheque. He talks to us about his love of fashion and why it’s weird to fetishise deafness.
Tell us a little a bit about your company, what’s the goal?
I created DEAF IDENTITY last September 2019 as I took redundancy from my old job and came to a bit of a standstill where I had an idea of mixing my love for fashion whilst raising deaf awareness.
The goal is to highlight the deaf community by breaking down the barriers and stigmas surrounding us and to show that there is no right or wrong way to be deaf! I also wanted to create a brand that felt fresh, modern and relevant and to show that being deaf isn’t all people may think it is…
How are you going to marry fashion and deafness?
I aim to mix my love for fashion with deafness by allowing the consumer to personalise their items in British Sign Language to their own personal taste and they can also select their own ‘DEAF IDENTITY PHRASE’ which is designed to be quite tongue in cheek and to grab attention such as ‘WELL YOU DON’T LOOK DEAF’ which is something I have and still get told countless times!
Who designs your clothing?
I design all of my clothing and get inspired by current affairs and what is going on in live time.
Some of the designs available from DEAF IDENTITY.
What are the biggest challenges facing you or DEAF IDENTITY at the moment?
The biggest challenge at the moment is Covid-19 restrictions as I’m sure it is for many, many other businesses out there too! But, the positive out of this is that it’s allowed me to pause, reflect and plan for the future.
Are there any great LGBT+ deaf role models?
I think this is a tricky question because one of the main reasons why I started DEAF IDENTITY is because being born deaf and whilst growing up deaf, I never had anybody to look up to in the public eye that was deaf so never felt I could relate to somebody or have a ‘deaf hero’.
With DEAF IDENTITY all the models that I use are all deaf or CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) so I hope that over time as the brand grows, there will be more role models to look up to and for people to feel connected with!
Who are your personal role models?
For me personally, Kate Moss. I’ve just always admired her from a young age and I remember falling in love with an image of her in a magazine and my love for fashion grew from then! I think what I love about her is that everyone knows who she is yet we know very little about her…
What are the barriers and stigmas that Deaf people can face?
I think the barriers deaf people face daily is equal rights. We as a community are always, always an afterthought and I think the main, current example is the ‘Where is the interpreter?’ campaign going on.
Throughout the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, here in the United Kingdom, during the BBC news special at 5 pm with the daily briefing, there is no interpreter and we seem to be the only country in the world that doesn’t have one.
Again, this is a pandemic and affects everybody yet deaf people who rely on British Sign Language aren’t being thought of and are once again, an afterthought.
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Do you think people are frightened or scared to interact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing?
For me personally, I think that from my own experience people are actually quite open and nice about it! I’ve had people notice my hearing aids and say ‘Oh I know BSL too!’ or ‘I know someone that’s deaf as well!’ which is quite sweet and I would rather they made an effort than not at all.
I don’t know why gay men feel the need to tell me things such as ‘Oh you’re deaf? That’s so cute, I just want to look after you!!’
Is it hard to feel part of the wider LGBT+ community or have you found people to generally welcoming?
I would definitely say it’s mixed but one challenge I face is my deafness being fetishised. I don’t know why gay men feel the need to tell me things such as ‘Oh you’re deaf? That’s so cute, I just want to look after you!!’ or ‘It turns me on knowing you’re deaf, maybe we could have some fun and I’ll turn your hearing aids off as well’…
It’s crazy to me and whenever I try to explain why this isn’t okay, I either get blocked or called ‘sensitive’.
Hang out in the area and see who’s about. If someone catches your eye, give a little cough to let him know you’re interested. Be wary of non-cruisers and dog walkers.
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Are you planning to be here later? Have you been here before? Let other guys know by using the comments below.
Hang out in the area and see who’s about. If someone catches your eye, give a little cough to let him know you’re interested. Be wary of non-cruisers and dog walkers.
[adinserter block=”13″]
Are you planning to be here later? Have you been here before? Let other guys know by using the comments below.
Hang out in the area and see who’s about. If someone catches your eye, give a little cough to let him know you’re interested. Be wary of non-cruisers and dog walkers.
[adinserter block=”13″]
Are you planning to be here later? Have you been here before? Let other guys know by using the comments below.
The clock is ticking when a distressed young man calls an LGBT suicide hotline – but there is more to his story in the suspense-filled drama Crisis Hotline.
It’s a film cleverly written and directed by Mark Schwab. The story begins where it ends and tells the caller’s story and why he has contacted the hotline on that particular night.
Simon (a very good Corey Jackson) is in his first-week volunteering at the hotline office and not much has happened. But one night a young caller, sounding very distressed, threatens to kill himself. So Simon gets the caller to tell his story and the events that have led up to this very disturbing call.
Danny the caller (Christian Gabriel), who is from the Midwest, is new to the big city, trying to find his feet, with a dull job and a very small apartment. Soon enough he meets sexy, hot and fun Kyle (Pano Tsaklas), who on the surface appears to have it all: a great apartment, a sexy smile and hot body, and a great job managing websites for a gay couple who have a voracious appetite for sex and all things dark.
Soon enough Kyle introduces Danny to his bosses Curtis and Lance (Mike Mizwicki and August Browning). Danny then finds out more about Kyle’s line of work and what he really needs to do to keep his job and apartment. But Danny eventually gets drawn, unwittingly, into their dark games, with Kyle setting him up, which ultimately leads to the hotline call. And throughout the call, the suspense builds and builds and the story gets darker and darker until the shattering, and totally unexpected, finale.
Schwab, who also produced, has a keen eye for suspense and drama and gets great mileage from his cast. While Gabriel doesn’t quite live up to his role and seems to be sleepwalking through the film, Tsaklas owns the movie with his looks, charm, and relative ease in his complicated role as an on-the-surface good and loyal boyfriend but with a dark and dangerous streak. Mizwicki and Browning are okay, but Jackson brings much to the film as it’s his pivotal role that holds the film together.
He’s actually fantastic.
Crisis Hotline throws social media, sex, love, lust, voyeurism and the dark web into one big mixing bowl to make an eerie, clever, dark, very sexy and fun film.
Look out for toilet attendants and other users. Head to the last cubicle and quietly cough to see if anyone’s inside. If you’re in the cubicle and want some company open the door
[adinserter block=”13″]
Are you planning to be here later? Have you been here before? Let other guys know by using the comments below.
Look out for toilet attendants and other users. Head to the last cubicle and quietly cough to see if anyone’s inside. If you’re in the cubicle and want some company open the door
[adinserter block=”13″]
Are you planning to be here later? Have you been here before? Let other guys know by using the comments below.
